Through the woods to Faviken

I know it’s been quite some time since I’ve put up a proper post and there is much to catch up on, but I’m finally back home and ready to get back to business.

I’m also just praying I’m not the very last person to recommend the fabulous series Netflix produced earlier this year called “Chef’s Table”

If I am, please humour me because I swear I started writing this in the Spring ( if you look at the above photo closely you’ll see I took this pic May 8th)

Then, as incredible good fortune would have it (code for ‘I coerced my husband into changing our vacation plans’) the opportunity arose this summer to visit one of the chefs and his restaurant featured in the “Chef’s Table” series!

So, you could say this post’s been simmering ever since.

I know…the puns just keep coming. If puns were posts I’d be on my second book by now. Oh wait…I haven’t done the first book yet 🙁

In any case, I think I get extra foodie points for recommending “Jiro Dreams of Sushi”(by the same director) in a post waaaay back when. (click link)

Seriously though, if you haven’t watched “Chef’s Table” yet, and you’re even vaguely interested in food (forget about cooking it, just eating it) trust me when I say it’s an absolute delight.

Featuring 6 brilliant chefs from around the world, individual characters one and all, yet united in their extreme talent, creativity and perseverance, not only did we kamikaze through the series in a weekend but I can honestly say it has changed the way I eat and even think about food.

Plus I now want to forage, pickle, devise a root cellar and build a huge fire pit something fierce.

Francis Mallman cooking Patagonian Style

The production values in these 6 beautifully shot, artistically orchestrated episodes are stellar, though we all agreed the food critics gushing about the chefs was unnecessary as the chefs and their food spoke volumes, but other than that, it’s fahbulous and SO inspiring.

OK, one more little thing… I’m going to suggest not watching them in the order Netflix presents, but rather save the episodes featuring the Argentinian chef Francis Mallmann and Magnus Nilsson from Sweden (I believe #’s 3 & 5 respectively) for last.

Why? Because they’re the best episodes hands down. And we all know how important the staging of a good meal is.

But without any further adieu, let’s get our galoshes on and go out to Faviken…

SO…

we were going to Sweden on our Scandinavian vacation anyway, and as it was the first time for all of us, it seemed like a no-brainer to change the Swedish leg of our itinerary in order to make the pilgrimage out to the countryside to experience one of the best restaurants in the world right now.

Faviken is located in Jarpen (sorry, I don’t know how to make the two dots over letters) which, as every reviewer will warn you, involves quite a long trek, whichever way you slice it. No doubt because of this, Faviken, a massive farm also boasting a hunting lodge located somewhere on its thousands of acres, offers a very small number of delightfully cozy rooms in which to stay overnight.

How great is that? Enjoy an unforgettable meal in the middle of nowhere, saunter downstairs afterwards to imbibe after dinner drinks and dessert by the fire, then wander off to your bed a scant 100 feet away. There’s also a lovely sauna and a decadent breakfast served at 9:00 in the morning before they send you on your way.

A view of the great room downstairs. The building dates back to the 1700’s and all the floors and walls are still the original wood.

This is Magnus Nilsson. He was born in 1983.

Which, by my calculations, puts him at about 12. Yet he already has a wife, 3 children, a world famous restaurant, and wrote a book 3 years ago…at the age of 10.

Math was never my strength. But eating certainly is and happily, my son inherited both my appetite and enthusiasm for adventurous dining. He and his girlfriend “Lady C” are young foodies in the extreme so they were beside themselves with excitement.

To give you an inkling of just how special Faviken is, Chef Nilsson seats a maximum of 16 guests per evening, one seating at 5 tables in a space that, in its prior life as a restaurant, sat over 100. This is truly the definition of a labour of love, and not a venture concerned with making money.

Naturally, there were no vacancies when we first tried to book dinner and rooms, but my husband, bless his little heart, persevered. He put us on the cancellation list and kept checking back, and back and back until we finally managed to secure both a table for 4 and two rooms. Then he proceeded to move everything else around to fit the trip out to Faviken in.

I love him.

The rooms are all pretty much identical. Teeny, tiny, tasteful and perfect.

With a small sink area in the room and even smaller robes (seriously. No one needs to see my husband in this lilliputian robe sauntering down to the communal bathroom late at night!) I slept like a log but I think his robe concerns kept him up half the night.

You best remember which animal is your room when you come back from any nighttime excursions!

Our older son, who certainly knows his way around a kitchen himself (not so Humble Mom Brag) has been a fan of chef Magnus’ for quite some time and had devoured his book when it first came out.

BTW, Don’t you just love when you begin to learn all sorts of cool stuff from your adult children??! It’s the best!

Unfortunately, it was raining, though not cold, the day of our adventure, but with fires going, fur throws and rugs everywhere, you couldn’t imagine a cozier place. In fact it made us all wonder if winter might possibly be the most beautiful time of all to visit Faviken.

via the “Faviken” book

Tables are set very simply with small jars of wild flowers in the summer and drying red onions in the winter.

I didn’t take very many photos at dinner and when I did, I shot quickly, but here are just a few highlights from the perfectly paced, extensive tasting menu

‘Scallops cooked over burning juniper branches’ is the dish chef Nilsson is most famous for, calling it their “only truly iconic dish”

“The reason I love this particular recipe is that exemplifies everything that I think is desirable in a dish. It is a perfect product cooked very simply and presented with an even greater simplicity, which tell the diner a story of passion, and which you can sense the skill of the chef’s cooking in every bite and sip” Magnus Nilsson.

The scallops are all brought in at exactly the same time, the room is immediately permeated with the scent of burning juniper. Chef Magnus explains briefly how to eat the dish; remove the top of the shell, pick up the enormous scallop (it’s actually heavy-which is why I believe they don’t give you cutlery, as picking it up in your hand gives you a tactile connection to the beauty of the scallop) Lastly, Magnus says to quickly sip the nectar from the bottom shell.

To say it was the best scallop I’ve ever had in my life would be a gross understatement. Afterwards, every diner in the room is looking to the other 4 tables as if to reassure that what they just experienced truly happened.

‘A small egg coated in ash, sauce made from dried trout and pickled marigold’

‘Lupin curd gratin’ (made with fresh lupins)

I think this was trout.

‘Porridge of grains and seeds from Jamtland finished with a big lump of salty butter, fermented turnips and wild leafs, beef broth filtered through moss’

One of my favourites as it engaged every sense. I felt like a little nymph feasting on the forest floor.

This I believe was Brown Cheese pie and gompa, but I can’t even think about it too much or I might have to move to Sweden.

Preparing after dinner tisanes with fresh herbs from the garden. I’m now on the hunt for Lovage. I will find it and I will grow it.

Amazingly, dinner did not leave us feeling at all guilty or woefully too sated to move. We all partook of the wine pairings, which were perfection and not only did I enjoy one of the best sleeps of our entire trip, but I had wonderful dreams. We left the small window beneath the eaves of our bedroom open all night and heard nothing but the occasional trill of a bird in the wee hours.

A book shelf in the great room of Faviken. My son says “Japanese Cooking” is a must read for anyone truly invested in cooking.

Briefly process the herbs in a food processor, making sure they do not heat up, as this causes loss of aroma.

Combine the herbs with salt and pass the mixture through a sieve to remove any unwanted plant fibres.

Transfer the mixture to a vacuum packed bag and freeze until needed, or store in an airtight jar, depending on the result you want.

Note: Herb salts will keep well in an airtight container for up to a month (don’t be alarmed if the colour starts to fade) Ones that need to be kept very fresh, such as fennel and lemon balm, should be put in the freezer right after mixing them.

Hi Slim
Both of my son’s are foodies as well…one lucky enough to live in Austin, where there are lots of opportunities to enjoy the adventure of great food. This place looks like it would be a magical place to visit and enjoy.
Thanks for always showing us the world through your wonderful vacations.
xo,
Karen

First, that was amazing! Feel like I’ve been transfixed to that story and those pictures for the last 1/2 hour! What a truly great experience for you and your family to be able to go there, to meet them, and to share in that beautiful food! And thanks for sharing! There are so many cool places out there on this planet I will never probably get to see in person so I’m so happy I get to see them through people like you all with your amazing adventures and trips! And finally, your writing is so fantastic and funny! Hilarious! I hope you do write a book. That situation about your husband and his robe – I’m sorry, but so so funny! I have never watched that show; am not really a foodie b/c I don’t really care that much for food. I eat to live; a handful of almonds, some dates and some spinach and kale and some goat cheese and bagel chips and I’m good! But the show sounds great! Thanks again! I love when you have a new post!

Love taking these fascinating trips “with” you! Your beautiful {and funny} writing, along with the wonderful photos, is like getting to take a mini dream vacation. Thanks so much for sharing. My bucket list always grows after one of your fabolous posts!

Sheesh. Now…I really try hard not to be jealous of you and your incredible adventures. Usually, I can do it because you are such a lovely person who completely appreciates all that she has in life and is even generous enough to share it with a whole lot of sponging readers but this time…mission not accomplished. Officially Crazy Jealous. 😉
PS. I saw “Jiro dreams of Sushi” because of you when you first suggested it, so I am sending a belated Thank You.
PPS. Do you know that there was a mini-uproar here because non of the chefs in the first season were French? heeheehee

Hi Heather!
Firstly, I wasn’t aware of the uproar with regard to none of the chefs being French- I actually didn’t even clock that. But wasn’t it enough that most of them trained in France at some point??!
Secondly, that’s funny- YOU, the American girl who has run off to live the dream life in Arles with her talented photographer beau… jealous- HA! I don’t think so! 😉 xxSP

Oooh, you don’t know the French well enough, m’dear SP! There were articles in all of the papers, there was a spot on the news…seriously, since UNESCO decided that French cooking is a World Heritage in itself, they have gone even higher and mightier than before…if possible…Not that it isn’t deserved. 😉

And yes, it IS a beautiful day in the neighborhood here…but oh I do miss traveling like we used to. You know as well as I that once you have been bitten by that bug…
Speaking of…maybe you already have, I can’t remember… but have you been to Bali yet?

Absolutely amaaazing!!! From your photos I’m thinking the serving pieces and how the food is displayed is a HUGE part of the taste experience!! I am about to book a trip back to my home country, Sweden that is, but I think I will wait til I find out when we might get a reservation at Fäviken!!! SO sorry about the weather (it does affect the experience), I think you might be on the right track,… Fäviken in winter looks so romantic!!!
Dinner tonight is in front of TV watching Chef’s Table!!!!

Ahhhhhhh……..a wonderful post. Feeling like I’m in a dream reading your witty words, wonderful pics and experiencing almost the taste delights. You must, must produce a book of your experiences. Count me in as a ardent admirer. Thanks, Bobbie

I can not wait for season 2 of this series. It’s so bloody good that I watched the series twice. This faviken and his spaniel by the lake just got to me – I love his focus and his contentment and his serenity and his drive all put together. i hope i get to go one day.

I have major chef’s table envy. I suppose you are going to go to all six restaurants and write about them? I will love to hate you for it because your posts are so capturing and refreshing. I couldn’t get into Jiro and now Noma is closing so you are the closest I can get to these places. Thank you Slim!

Me thinks my darling food forager daughter (she was at the ferment festival in SB) is going to need a fainting couch when she read this post, (this is probably already on her bucket list for all I know)…..fabulous…that was a lot of “F”‘s….I must have food brain

Oh Slim! This is the best post yet! Magnus is my favorite of the six chefs and I think I’ve watched him SIX times, at least! Being of Swedish descent, with relatives still in the old country, it is my dream to one day visit.

I love what a genius he is and how he treats everyone. He’s just so quiet and gentle when correcting an employee. I love how he stands at the top of the stairs, just out of sight to see how guests are enjoying his offerings.

Thanks for allowing us to live vicariously. You have now visited the center of the world, as far as I’m concerned. Cheers!

Thank you Gwen. Imagine how happy I was for our son to have the opportunity to talk with Magnus even for a short while 🙂 So lovely.
PS. Magnus looks even younger in real life- the hard work and country life obviously agrees with him.

Beautiful post Slim. Tucked into bed last night and watched the Netflix series on my ipad. I must say your blog about Flaviken was so beautiful and interesting and made me feel like I had been there!! What an interesting and creative man and place!

This is a fabulous Post! I cannot believe I did not know about that series and have I no idea why not? I was just quickly catching up on my email and there you were. What a fabulous experience! I was mesmerized and sorry when I got to the end, please promise to write your book! Hilarious too, the Lilliputian robe image cracked me up. You keep one upping your trips…they just get better and better. Sweet sweet husband to have done what he did. I know what I’m watching next and I’m sure I will binge watch. The scallops! Wow! Thank you so much Slim, Netfix here I come!

While looking for something new to watch on Netflix (finished Longmire) I came across Chef’s Table. Oh I thought – I think Slim recommended this series, so I came back to this post as I remembered your comment about watching Argentina and Sweden last. Hooked after first episode! Thank you 🙂

Great post! Growing up on the Downeast coast of Maine, where I ate scallops raw (the best) but never out of a shell, and where the lupine grow wild in the fields and on the road side, I am really interested in the dish you mentioned that was made from lupine. Do you have any info on the recipe, what part of the plant did he use, etc? Everything you present Is what I can only describe as understated class. I used to play your husband’s radio show to get in the cleaning mood and to pull myself out of the doldrums. Sometimes one good, long laughing spell is all it takes to make or break a day!!! Luckily, I found you through him and have enjoyed traveling with you ever since.